Small Town Saturday | Irondale, Missouri

 

Camp Irondale Staff, 1960

     Hi everyone, and welcome back to the blog!  Today, I am so excited to introduce my newest series, Small Town Saturday.  In this series, I will be talking about my favorite small towns.  I will highlight their founding, history, and what life is like there.  I conjured up the idea for this series when pondering on how small towns, which are often looked over, could get more recognition.  These bypassed places are gems just waiting to be found, and I want to help bring them to the light.

     I am starting this series off with Irondale, Missouri.  Irondale is a quaint village located in Washington County, with a population of 447.  Irondale was first laid out in 1857 by John G. Scott, who built an iron furnace there.  Scott later sold his iron furnace to Edwin Harrison and Company, who operated the furnace until 1880.  Edwin Harrison and Company also bought 13,000 acres of land at the time, including the site of present day Irondale.  Not long after, the now company town was surveyed by Belt and Priest, and was called Irondale for its iron furnace.

 Irondale Milling Co.

     Irondale was formed from three different assets, the company which operated the iron furnace, and two small prior settlements.  These two settlements went by the names of Mineral City and Log Town.  Mineral City sat on the west side of Dry Creek, where iron ore was hauled from the ore bank neighborhood.  Log town sat on the east side of Dry Creek, and was named for a handful of log homes in the area used as dwellings.

     By 1867, just ten years after being platted, Irondale gained its own post office.  The town was doing well, and had many assets to offer the people.  With the iron furnace in full swing, mining also became a large operation.  Mining had begun in Washington County as early as 1823, when the Springfield Iron Furnace was opened on Furnace Creek.  The mines in Irondale put out iron, lead, and even zinc.

Savoy Railroad Depot, 1912   

     One of Irondale's most notable early memories, was when the town experienced a brief name change.  Due to mail mix ups between Ironton and Iron Mountain due to similar names, Irondale changed its name to Savoy in 1906.  Though the name did not stick, and after just a few years the town turned back to its original name of Irondale.

Irondale Railroad Depot and crew

     Another vital trait to Irondale, was the railroad.  The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway moved into the area in the mid 1800's, and made its way directly through Irondale.  The railroad was a major asset for Irondale, and although Missouri has many abandoned rail lines as of today, this is not one of them.  Though the trains no longer stop in Irondale, the line put in place near 150 years ago, is still very active.  Freight trains rumble through multiple times a day, and if you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of Amtrak's "Texas Eagle" passenger train gliding through the night.  Irondale's railway line has changed hands multiple times over the years.  It was built and operated the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway, which was later sold to Missouri Pacific, and is now owned by Union Pacific, one of the biggest railroad companies in the country.

    William Helms Jr. (The Iron Mountain Baby) pictured with the bag he was found in

     The railroad also provided transportation to the popular Camp Irondale, and is most famous for the story of the Iron Mountain Baby.  On August 14th, 1902, William Helms (June 5th, 1835 - December 13th, 1917) a local farmer and Civil War veteran was walking along the railroad tracks in Irondale.  Upon meeting where the line went over Big River, Helms stood aside while northbound No. 4 blew by over the trestle.  Afterward, Helms began to move on with his walk when a strange noise caught his attention.  He traced the noise to what he described as an "old fashioned telescoping valise".  Inside, he was shocked to find a baby, which had been thrown from the train, and had fallen fifty feet.  The child had sustained serious injuries, but was alive.  After taking the child to be examined, it was determined that it was a boy, estimated a five days old.  Helms took the child home to his wife, where he was nursed back to health, and adopted by the family.  He was named William Moses Gould Helms, after his new father, the railroad owner, and being found on the water.  William Jr. went on to recover and live a full life, and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway paid for his schooling at Braughton's University, and Southwest Missouri State Teachers College (now Missouri State University). 

Boy Scouts arriving in Irondale by train, 1922

   

     Many residents of Irondale have fond memories of the railroad.  "I remember as a kid, hobos would always get off the train and come to our house.  I believe our house was marked in some way, like they knew it was safe to come to."  Said Paul Lashley.  "I remember as a kid, always running outside when I heard the train coming to watch it go by, but I think I only caught it three or four times."  Said Jennifer Lashley.

     The old Depot Saloon Building, taken by Jennie Moore

     Even though the passing of time has left Irondale with no train stops, plenty of hints to Irondale's railroading past still remain.  With a keen eye, several sites can be found that allude to the town's once hopping railroad scene.  One of my personal favorite remains is the old Depot Saloon, which is located behind the Blue Haven Cafe, across the railroad tracks.  The building was constructed in the late 1800's as an office for the local zinc mines, but was later converted into the Depot Saloon.  Stories passed down by those who visited the saloon tell of how locomotives used to stop in front of the saloon in order for the railroad crew, including the engineer to purchase beer.  At the time, beer was sold in metal buckets, which would be loaded back onto the train.  If you look closely at the photo, you can still see the faded paint job on the building which reads "Old Lynch Rye", which was an advertisement often found on bars and saloons at the time all throughout Missouri and the Midwest.  Not many of these paint jobs have stood the test of time, which is just another reason I love this site so much.

   1856 Stone Arch Railroad Bridge, taken by Jennie Moore

     Another railroad relic that can be seen today is the stone arch railroad bridge which sits over Dry Creek.  This bridge was built in 1856, is one of the oldest bridges in Missouri, and one of the oldest bridges in the country that is still in service.  It is admirable structure that still serves a big purpose in Irondale.

The old Railroad/Kirkpatrick Building, taken by Jennie Moore

   
     Perhaps the most iconic site on the list is the old railroad building, also known as the Kirkpatrick place, which sits near the stone arch bridge.  The residents of Irondale will tell you that it has looked the same as long as they can remember, as if time had progressed to a point and stopped.  The building was reportedly built in 1867 as a hotel, and later became railroad offices.  "My great-grandfather was a bellhop when he was younger.  It shut down in the 60's."  Said Kayla DeSherlia on Youtube.  "The building was owned by my grandfather and grandmother in the early 1920's, John Ace Eye and Sally Anis Smith Eye.  Not sure when it was sold, but it belonged to the Kirkpatrick family in the 1940's."  Said Rose Dickey on YouTube.

Irondale Pool 2019, taken by Jennie Moore

   
     Another thing Irondale is known for, is the old Boy Scout camp, or Camp Irondale.  The camp was first opened in 1920, but scouts began camping in the area as early as 1913.  The camp began under the name Camp Irondale when land was donated to the St. Louis Council by Clarance Howard.  The community was very supportive of the camp, with nearly all of the lumber used being donated by a local mill, and assembled by farmers.  Though the camp started small, it gained traction fast.  In 1945, an Olympic sized pool was opened at camp Irondale, which replaced the previous spring fed pool.  Rumor has it, this was the first Olympic sized pool not built for the Olympics.  The massive pool was wildly popular, and was in operation until the 1970's, even after the camp itself moved out.  "Growing up, Irondale Estates was in its prime and my brother Pat bought a lot so we could use the Olympic sized swimming pool. Needless to say my sisters and I had nice tans to begin fall classes with." Said Sue (Sucharski) Roney.

Inspiration Hall Chapel 2019, taken by Jennie Moore

     The camp also had many other features such as a chapel called "Inspiration Hall", a climbing tower, water tower, two lakes, several cabins, post office, pavilion, parade grounds, flag pole, nature lodge, and more.  Many of these are still standing, and can be visited today!  The camp was home to as many as 1,200 campers each summer, many of which still reflect on the memories made there.  The camp didn't have a suitable access road for vehicles for many years, meaning the campers arriving by train had to hike from the depot.  In 1938, the Camp had a special visitor, Marlin Perkins.  Perkins was a zoologist, and the host of television's "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom".  He spoke to the scouts, toured the camp, and even visited the "Snake Pit" of Irondale Nature Museum!  Also in 1938, the American Legion donated to the camp an "Indian Village" of six, 20 foot tepees with wooden floors.

Camp Irondale, courtesy of the Lashley/Sucharski family

     The camp remained in operation until 1965, until it met its successor, S-F Scout Ranch (Knob Lick, Missouri).  Now, a portion of the old camp is now a subdivision, known as Camp Irondale Estates.  Though Irondale still owns about 15 acres of the camp, which is in the process of restoration.  In 2010, the Ozark Trailblazers District in the Greater St. Louis area council worked throughout the spring and summer to restore parts of the camp that Irondale still owns.  The chapel, "Inspiration Hall", has been restored and is still in use as of 2019.  If you would like to help keep the camp's history alive, you can become a member of the Historical Society!  (See bottom of post for information on the Historical Society.)

Irondale Elementary class photo, courtesy of the Lashley/Sucharski family

     Even aside from the camp, many people have fond memories of growing up in Irondale.  Before West County schools existed, there was the Irondale Grade School.  Though this was no one room school house, but was a large, two story, stone building.  This school was heated by coal, and was said to have its own kitchen.  "My class in  Irondale was about 13, and when we went over to Leadwood for Junior High School, there were about 50 students between Irondale, Frankclay, and Leadwood.  I am proud to say we had good teachers all the way from Kindergarten to 12th grade." Said Sue (Sucharski) Roney.  "Irondale was a great place to grow up at." She added.  

Irondale boys and girls basketball team ,1923

     Though many small schools in the early 1900's were neglected sports and extra curricular activities, Irondale Grade School and surrounding area schools did not follow that path.  Irondale school children took part in sports, and competed with other school teams as early as the 1920's.  Irondale also had a yearly homecoming, that lasted many years after Irondale Grade School was closed.  "I remember even when I was a kid, it was a big deal.  It drew people from all over, and people that had moved away from Irondale would come back for this event."  Said Jennifer Lashley.   
 

Hickory Grove School near Irondale, Ferlin Husky pictured bottom left 

     Along with notable events, Irondale has also produced notable people.  Irondale was home to aviation pioneer, Tom Benoist (December 29th, 1874 - June 14th, 1917).  Benoist helped make St. Louis a center of American aviation, designed the Benoist XIV aircraft, and also operated the worlds first scheduled airline.  Jessie N. Self is also an admirable name for the community, as he was a school teacher in Irondale until he was called to serve in the Civil War.  Self became Captain of Co. F, 32nd Missouri Infantry.  Self passed away while in the service on February 25th, 1863 due to war related illness.  Letters written by Self can be found in Missouri State Archives.  Lastly, and most well known, is country music artist Ferlin Husky (December 3rd, 1925 - March 17th, 2011).  Husky was from the Irondale area, and attended grade school in  Irondale.  I had the pleasure of meeting Ferlin several years ago, and am pleased to say he was a kind man.  

Irondale Bank, 1901

     Speaking of notable people and events, many don't know of the Irondale Bank robbery that took place in the early 1900's.  On October 26th, 1928, two men, unmasked, entered the Irondale Bank.  The men approached cashier W.H. Jamison, and drew revolvers to his head.  They ordered Jamison to open the vault, and surrender the contents.  Jamison cooperated and then was ordered to open the rear door of the bank, where the two men fled to their automobile with $1,700.  Jamison was unharmed, and the men raced away toward Leadwood.  Though on the loose for a short time, they were later caught as one of the men confessed.  Jamison told the newspapers that the bank faced no real loss thanks to insurance.  

     Blue Haven Cafe, taken by Jennie Moore

     Although Irondale is no longer a mining and railroading boom town, it is still alive in its faithful residents.  One of my favorite stops in Irondale is the Blue Haven Cafe.  The cafe was established in 1946, and is still serving the community today.  Blue Haven Cafe serves several meals, delicious home made desserts, and even has a one of a kind house salad dressing.  Everything I have tried from the Blue Haven Cafe, has been wonderful.  It is a great place to go for a home cooked meal away from home, a burger, or just a light salad.  The prices are very affordable, and the staff makes you feel as if you've known them your whole life.  I was blessed enough to meet the Lashley/Sucharski family at the cafe for lunch to help me with gathering information for this post.  The family are life-long residents and visitors of Irondale, and were such a joy to talk to about life in Irondale.  The cafe and the people in it, are a must see.

     I also must mention Roy's Convenience Store, the one stop shop for gas, groceries, and more.  This little store is reminiscent of an old general store, with a little bit of everything.  There is a never ending flow of customers flowing in and out of Roy's, as it is the only store and gas station for miles.  I really enjoyed popping in!

Irondale Grade School, mid 1900's

     In conclusion, I hope this edition of Small Town Saturday prompts you to pay Irondale a visit sometime.  It is a place of rich history, just waiting to be uncovered.  Irondale never fails to provide smiling faces upon every visit.  Below I have listed the information for the businesses of Irondale.

Blue Haven Cafe-
105 S Oak St, Irondale, MO 63648
573-749-3422
11:00am - 8:00pm Tuesday - Sunday

Irondale City Hall-
110 S Oak St, Irondale, MO 63648
573-749-3223
8:30am - 4:00pm Monday - Thursday

Irondale City Park-
Ash St, Irondale, MO 63648
To donate or participate in fundraisers to help better the city of Irondale's public areas, call the Irondale Park Board at 573-749-3223.

Roy's Convenience Stores-
113 S Oak St, Irondale, MO 63648
573-749-3746
7:00am - 9:00pm daily

The Historical Society of Leadwood, Surrounding Areas and Museum-
501 Bank St, Leadwood, MO 63653
573-701-3951
5:30pm - 7:00pm Tuesdays

     Thank you all very much for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed.  I hope you are eager for this series, and please feel free to recommend any places you would like to see in this or any of my series.  Thank you for making the blog possible!

     A special thanks to the Lashley/Sucharski family, the Blue Haven Cafe, and the Irondale City Board.

With love,
Jennie